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zippyjuan
11-14-2005, 02:09 PM
Diamond Multimedia Set to Offer RADEON X1800 for AGP.
Graphics Cards Maker to Offer RADEON X1800 for Older PCs

Category: Video

by Anton Shilov

[ 11/13/2005 | 03:36 PM ]


While ATI Technologies itself decided not to offer its RADEON X1800-series graphics products for AGP 8x bus used in older machines, some of its partners are set to offer AGP 8x graphics cards based on a RADEON X1800-series graphics processing unit (GPU). If this happens, owners of old-generation systems will receive the highest-performing AGP cards ever.

Diamond Multimedia currently advertises its Diamond Viper ATI RADEON X1800 graphics cards with AGP 8x and PCI Express x16 support on its web-site. The page notes that the products are expected to be available in November, 2005, but does not indicate pricing. The web-page even does not indicate whether the model X1800 XL or X1800 XT is set to acquire AGP interface.

ATI RADEON X1800 XL and XT graphics processors feature native PCI Express x16 interface, thus, to make a graphics card with AGP 8x based on the chip will require a special PCI Express-to-AGP bridge called ATI Rialto. Earlier this year numerous makers of graphics cards used Rialto to make RADEON X800 XL and RADEON X800 GTO-based graphics cards for AGP using Rialto bridge.

While few customers currently buy computers featuring AGP 8x slots, there are still some powerful machines featuring processors like AMD Athlon 64 FX or Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition central processing units (CPUs) that have enough performance to play modern games, but would demand a high-performance GPU for comfortable playing. So far the most powerful AGP 8x graphics card has been ATI RADEON X850 XT Platinum Edition, as NVIDIA Corp. did not release its GeForce 7800-series products for AGP 8x.

ATI RADEON X1800-series GPUs feature Shader Model 3.0, high dynamic range lighting, a brand-new architecture and other innovations.


http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20051113153610.html

DarkFury
11-14-2005, 02:17 PM
I guess that may be a step in the right direction to help some of us out... but dayuuum... its still kinda messed up the way things are going with video cards.

Bires
11-14-2005, 05:31 PM
its still kinda messed up the way things are going with video cards.

How so?

The way I see it, currently video cards far outstrip CPUs and the games. So, let them release all the cards they want. By the time software catches up, last month's high-performance cards will be had for a song.

DarkFury
11-14-2005, 07:21 PM
How so?

The way I see it, currently video cards far outstrip CPUs and the games. So, let them release all the cards they want. By the time software catches up, last month's high-performance cards will be had for a song.
The how so is...

Many of us have platforms that are fully capable of playing the "latest games" but are not being supported by the newer video cards coming out...

In other words, my mobo still has AGP on it... but all the new video cards are coming out in only PCI-E versions... thus limiting my choices as to what I can use and making those choices WAY more expensive to boot.

Therefore, we can't even take advantage of all these "super powerful" video cards (without replacing the heart of my PC)... it would be nice to be able to buy one, use it now... and still be able to use it on the next upgrade. But that ain't gonna happen...

Bires
11-14-2005, 08:31 PM
Ya, you're right. But when I think of my upgrade path, I'm going to want to move to PCI-E w/ SLI, 939, and DDR-2 in one fell swoop. I feel like I have the best of the last generation 3GHz P4 on a i865, and will upgrade to the best of the current generation once all the components have had some time to age.

zippyjuan
11-14-2005, 08:33 PM
The same thing happens with processors too. If you want to upgrade it, the top of the line that fits your board is probably not much faster than the one you already have and the faster ones have a different pin configuration so you need a new mobo. But on the other hand, processors are pretty much at a point now where the increases are not something that the average user will notice on the applications they run so they will be less likely today to do a CPU upgrade. I plan to hold on to what I have as long as it continues to work and can handle what I need it for. Athlon XP 2400 and ATI Radeon 9700 non pro with 1 gb Corsair Select (or whatever the top one is called now).

DarkFury
11-14-2005, 10:08 PM
True... but in the CPU/Mobo is the "heart of the system"... video cards are considered "accessory"... however with the swiftness of this move to PCI-E, I guess that line of thinking is changing...

Look how long it took to phase out PCI video cards in favor of AGP... yet, they didn't get rid of the PCI slot on the PC if you still wanted to use one (up till they became extinct), however with these newer boards AGP is gone... and pretty much your old AGP card is useless (not to mention that you might've just dropped about $250 - $350 on it 6 months to 1 year ago...) which really puts a burden on you to almost start over from scratch.

That kind of change hurts bad... Right now, lookin' at the options, it would cost me around $750 or more to swap out mobo/CPU and buy a new PCI-E vid card... for what would only be a "moderate gain". I probably wouldn't cry as much if I was getting a true "double my power" in the upgrade, but honestly, I don't know if I'd be getting quite that much "extra power" for the money.

In the end... I guess I start thinking... "Dayuum... I spent all that money just so I could play my games...." Maybe that's what hurts the most.

Jeffbx
11-15-2005, 05:02 AM
Don't worry too much about it DF - I'm in the same boat as you. However, I have yet to find a game that doesn't run decently on my 400SC with my weak 2.4GHz processor & my new-to-me 9800 Pro. I have one more upgrade step (I'll throw in a Northwood 3.2GHz one of these days) before this machine sees the end of its useful life, and I expect it to be at least another year or 2 before I have to swap it for a new system.

Don't buy into the video card hype - I used to buy 1 generation back to save $$, but now I'm about 5 generations back & my system is still going strong.

DarkFury
11-15-2005, 06:34 AM
You must not play any of the latest games like City of Villains or Battlefield 2...

They've added SO many extra shading effects and such that my GeForce 6800 (non GT) is starting to feel a little strain.... I know the bottleneck isn't my CPU (P4 3.2 Prescott) but with an upper limit on AGP video card options, the air is gettin' pretty thin on my current setup....

Yeah, I can still play the games... but I wanna be able to turn on/up some of the effects so that I can really explore what the game should be like... and right now, I see that there is gonna be a problem with that with the way things are currently headed.